23 replies to this topic

[DrSmart]

Hi, I am 17 and I would like to peruse a career in programming (perhaps video games, web sites, whatever earns enough money to live on) and I would like to know:

What language(s) should I learn?

Where would be the best place to live to find a job?

How long does it take to learn? 3 months? 6 months? 1 year?

And can I teach myself? Or do I have to go to college?

[gdjs]

You should learn the language that is most fun. C is a traditional language and an important one in the history of software development. It will introduce you to important topics about the general functioning of computers.

There is no best place to live and find a job - fortunately for you, this career is promising wherever you are.

Your entire life will not be enough to become a perfect programmer. I like the chess analogy - it takes anyone a few minutes to learn the rules of chess, but decades to achieve masterdom. Ars longa, vita brevis.

You can certainly teach yourself. College will serve as a place to get in touch with people whose interests are similar to yours, and to introduce you to fundamental subjects of computer science. It's up to you to do all the studying and educate yourself.

[DrSmart]

But how long does it take? And which language is best for 3d games?

Can I learn with online tutorials?

[gdjs]

Online tutorials are often full of conceptual mistakes. Usually, it's best to go with solid books that experienced programmers recommend (such as "The C Programming Language", 2nd Ed., by Kerningham & Ritchie) and official language standards. Of course, you can also safely trust books written by the creators of some tool, as long as the books are in fact about the tool the authors created.

Like I said, it may take you a few months to learn most of the basic syntax and semantics of a language. But it will take your entire lifetime to become an actual decent chess player.

[DrSmart]

How long would it take to learn how to program say, a 2D game? Or perhaps an application?

And can I even make a living with this language?

[gdjs]

You could certainly learn everything you need to know to build a "2d game" in a couple of weeks. That doesn't mean your program would come out even half decent. If you wish to pursue this career, you need dedication and patience.

[mebob]

Maybe most tutorials ARE full of "conceptual mistakes", but they teach you. I learned from C programming.com - Your Resource for C and C++ Programming. One in depth one for C++ that my friend is learning from is Learn C++. A good C++ and C reference is here: Reference - C++ Reference. If you decide to go with C++, you can use the library SFML for 2D graphics programming. It also allows you to use OpenGL for 3D graphics. If you decide to go with C, there is a similar library called SDL, which I don't have much experience with.

[DrSmart]

Cool, like a point and click game?

What sort of jobs are open for c++ programers?

[mebob]

Here, this may help you there: How to Make Money from Programming | eHow.com

[DrSmart]

mebob said:

Here, this may help you there: How to Make Money from Programming | eHow.com

What about a real job?

[DrSmart]

Anybody?

[Flying Dutchman]

If you'll pick up programming just to make a living, I dare say you'll make a poor programmer. Every job is about enthusiasm and if you lack it then overall performance will be poor.

It depends on individual person how long it takes to learn a certain language. It also matters how much effort are you willing to put in. In general, to learn a language it's not really hard (syntax and a like), but efficient usage takes time. As far as I understand, programming 3D games requires solid math knowledge with matrices and vectors and a like. If you're not familiar with those you'll have to pick those skills as well; takes time.

If you want to start making games, I recommend Allegro, SDL and/or SFML libraries. They offer great 2D support, so you learn the basics of making a game, and SDL and SFML can easily be extended with OpenGL to make 3D games.